Archery bow



I P. L. WENTZ ARCHERY BOW 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 14, 1967 INVENTOR.PAULL. I I ENTZ.

ATTYB.

P. L. WEN TZ ARCHERY BOW May 19,1970

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 14, 1967 H lHHHH HHHHH INVENTOR. PAUL L.WENTZ ATTYs.

United, States Patent 3,512,512 ARCHERY BOW Paul L. Wentz, 1733 N.Countyline St., Fostoria, Ohio 44830 Filed Dec. 14, 1967, Ser. No.690,627 Int. Cl. F41b /00 US. Cl. 124-24 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE An archery bow of the recurve type has an elongate memberextending rearwardly from a central portion thereof to aid the archer inshooting an arrow. The elongate member has a handle at the rear endwhich supports the archers hand when he draws back the arrow and the bowstring. The elongate member enables the archer to hold the arrow steady,to release it uniformly, and draw back the arrow a constant amount. Theelongate member also tends to act as a stablilizer to dampen vibrationand to eliminate arm slap. The elongate member is attached directly onthe center line of the bow adjacent the arrow guide. A handle at the endof the member can be adjusted toward and away from the bow and can bepivoted to enable the archer to adjust it to his chin. The elongatemember also can be folded, if desired.

This invention relates to an archery bow attachment or accessory andmore particularly to an elongate supporting member which increases theaccuracy of the archer.

Numerous attachments or accessories are now available for bows with themain goal being to increase the accuracy of the archer. The presentinvention relates to a supporting member for a bow which has a number ofadvantages. When the archer pulls back the bow string and arrow, hesupports his hand on a handle of the elongate supporting member andthereby relieves much of the compressive force on his forward hand andarm. Consequently, the bow can be held much more steadily and accuracyis thereby increased. The supporting member also enables the string andarrow to be drawn a constant distance each time which further improvesthe accuracy of the archer. A small variation in the distance the arrowis drawn has a substantial eifect on the trajectory of the arrow andconsequently the accuracy. Bows are usually designed to have a 28-inchdraw and a variation of one inch can change the amount of pull and theforce applied to the arrow by 2 /2 pounds, in the case of a 40-poundbow, for example. The elongate member also acts as a stabilizer toreduce the vibrations in the bow when the string is released. Also, thearrow is held with the hand in a constant position and is released ,moreuniformly.

The elongate supporting member embodying the invention has a number offeatures. The supporting member is attached to the rear of the bowadjacent the arrow guide and is located directly on the center line ofthe bow, which is essential for a recurve bow since mounting the memberon one side of the bow will produce asymmetrical forces on the bow tipsand result in warping and permanent damage to the bow. The elongatemember is attached to the bow so that it can be adjusted in length andcan be rotated to enable the handle position to be changed. This enablesthe archer to adjust the handle relative to his chin to enable his handto conform to any desired position when the arrow is in the shootingposition. The elongate member also has a loop extending from the handleto further aid in supporting the archers hand and to aid in aiming thearrow, if desired. The elongate member also can be folded to lie alongthe bow to facilitate transportation and storage.

The elongate member can be afiixed to the bow in a number of ways,depending in part upon whether the member is to be attached to anexisting bow or is to be supplied with the bow by the manufacturer.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide anelongate supporting member for a bow, particularly of the recurve type,having the advantages and features discussed above.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view in elevation of a recurve bow heaving an elongatesupporting member thereon, shown folded and also shown in dotted linesin the operating position;

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of the recurve bow with the elongatemember shown in the operating position and the bow string drawn back;

FIG. 3 is a rear view in elevation of the bow with the elongatesupporting member folded down;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view in elevation of the elongate supportingmember;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the member shown in FIG. 4 with the bow shown insection;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the elongate supporting member showing thehandle and loop extension;

FIGS. 7-9 are further enlarged views in horizontal section showingmodified means for attaching the elongate supporting members to bows;and

FIG. 10 is a view in section taken along the line 1010 of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. 13, a recurve bow embodying the invention isindicated at 12 and includes a central portion 14, having a handle 16and an arrow guide 18, and tip portions 20 and 22 which curve in theopposite direction to the central portion. Such bows can be obtained ina variety of shapes, particularly in the central portion 14, and can beof various types of construction, some of which are quite complex,particularly when employing a variety of laminations. A bow string 24extends between the tips and lays on a center line of the 'bow whichextends symmetrically between the bow tips. The bow string 24 is shownstrung but undrawn in FIG. 1 and is shown drawn back in FIG. 2. An arrow26 is fragmentarily shown in the shooting position in FIG. 2.

In accordance with the invention, an elongate supportting member 28 isattached to the back of the central portion 14 of the bow in alignmentwith the center line extending between the tips and adjacent the arrowguide 18. The elongate member 28 is made of a steel rod 30 which has ashallow-dish-shaped configuration to clear the arrow 26 at all portionsthereof except the rear end. The steel rod 30 is inexpensive and can bebent to the desired position after being attached to the bow 12. At therear end, the rod 30 extends downwardly in a transverse handle 32 whichsupports the draw hand of the archer when the bow string 24 and thearrow 26 are drawn back. As shown approximately in FIG. 5, the palm ofthe hand rests on the handle 32 while the forefinger and middle fingerstraddle the rod 30 and hold the tip of the arrow adjacent the notchtherein which receives the bow string 24. The arrow 26 is frictionallyheld on the bow string 24 so that the archers fingers need not apply anypressure on the arrow to hold it in place. With the arrow drawn 'back,the archers draw hand substantially supports the entire arrow and bowwith the forehand used primarily to position and steady the bow. Withmost of the usual compressive force thereby re lieved from the archersforehand and arm, the bow and arrow can be held much more steadily toincrease accuracy. Further, with the draw hand on the handle 32, the

arrow is always drawn back a constant distance and a uniform force isalways imparted to the arrow to maintain a constant trajectory thereof.

A loop extension 34 extends upwardly from the handle 32 beyond the rod30 with ends suitably afiixed to the handle 32 as by soldering and withthe closed end of the loop curved back-wardly slightly as shownparticularly in FIG. 4. This loop extension 34 further supports thearchers hand by extending between the thumb and the forefinger andprovides assurance that the archers hand will always be in a particularposition when supported on the handle with the arrow thus drawn back theconstant distance. The loop extension also aids in sighting or aimingthe bow and arrow, if desired.

As shown in FIGS. l-5, the elongate member 28 can be folded, and forthis purpose the rod 30 has a thin forwardly-extending car 36 which isabout half the thickness of the rod 30. A connecting and adjusting rod38 also has a thin rearwardly-extending ear 40 which is positionedcontiguously with the car 36 and is pivoted thereto by a suitable pin orrivet 42. A sleeve 44 which is slidably mounted on the rod 30 can beslid forwardly over the ears 36 and 40 when they are aligned to hold therod 30 in a straight, operating position, as shown in FIG. 2. When thesleeve 44 is retracted, the rod 30 can then be swung downwardly to theposition shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to enable the bow to be easily carriedand packed in an automobile or stored, for example.

The elongate member 28 is preferably mounted on the bow so that thehandle 32 can be pivoted around the axis of the rod 30 to enable thearchers hand and the handle 32 to be positioned at an angle to thevertical. This enables the supporting member 28 to accommodate the faceor chin of the archer in any desired shooting position. It is alsodesirable to adjust the length of the supporting member 28 to enable thedraw of the bow and arrow to be a particular amount. To accomplish thesepurposes, the connecting rod 38 of FIGS. 4 and S includes a threaded end46 which is threadedly received in a threaded passage of a supportingtube 48. The threaded end 46 is turned into the passage in the tube 48until the desired length of the rod 30 is achieved and the handle 32 canthen be pivoted to the left or right to the position desired by thearcher. A lock nut 50 is then turned against the end of the adjustingtube 48 to hold the elongate supporting member securely in position.

The supporting member 28 can be attached to the bow in several differentways. With an existing how, it is important that the central portion 14not be unduly weakened. An attaching plate 52 in this instanceaccomplishes this. The mounting or attaching plate 52 includes a rearsupporting plate 54 and a side stabilizing plate 56 which are afiixed tothe central portion of the bow 14 by screws 58. These are spread over asufficiently large area as not to weaken the bow. Actually, in themounting plate 52, the force on the elongate member is applied throughthe supporting plate 54, and the plate 56 merely serves to stabilize thetransverse position of the elongate member 28. The adjusting tube 48canbe suitably affixed centrally to the supporting plate 54, as by welding,and is positioned directly on the center line of the bow extendingbetween the tips thereof.

Other means of attaching the elongate member are shown in FIGS. 7-10. Asshown in FIG. 7, :an elongate member 60, which is not foldable in thisinstance, has a threaded end 62 turned into a through-nut 64 and can beadjusted in length and angle as before and then held in position by alock nut 66. The through-nut 64 is attached to the bow through athreaded stud 68 having a threaded end 70 received in the through-nutwith a forward end 72 forming a wood screw which can be turned into apre-drilled hole 74 in the bow 12.

In FIG. 8, the threaded end 62 of the elongate member 60 is turned intoa threaded passage 76 in a ferrule 78 which is suitably affixed in ablind hole 80 in the central portion of the bow. This embodiment isparticularly advantageous when the arrow support is supplied by amanufacturer since the central portion into which the ferrule is affixedcan be made slightly thicker to accommodate the large diameter of theferrule 78 without unduly weakening the bow. The supporting member canthen be readily attached or detached.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a modified elongate member 82 has arectangular end portion 84 which can be aflixed in a hole 86 in the bow,as with the use of epoxy resin, for example. Since the rectangularportion 84 is thin, it can be used with existing bows having relativelythin central portions to have little effect on the strength of the bow.A screw adjustment similar to that of FIG. 7 can be used, if desired.

Various modifications of the above described embodiments of theinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to beunderstood that such modifications can be made without departing fromthe scope of the invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenorof the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a recurve bow, at single elongate member, meansattaching said elongate member to a central portion of said bow on aline between the bow tips, and at a position adjacent an arrow guide ofthe bow, said elongate member extending rearwardly a distanceapproximately equal to the desired draw of the bow and terminating in ahandle extending transversely of said elongate member, said attachingmeans including means to enable said elongate member to rotate about itslongitudinal axis to change the position of said handle by rotationthereof generally in a plane substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of said elongate member.

2. The combination according to claim 1 characterized by said attachingmeans including threads and said elongate member having a threaded endcooperating therewith to enable said handle to be moved toward and awayfrom said bow to change the draw of the bow.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said elongate member iscurved in a shallow dish-shaped configuration to enable said member tobe out of contact with an arrow throughout most of the length of saidmember.

4. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said elongate member ismade of two pieces, means pivotally connecting adjacent ends of saidpieces, and sleeve means associated with said member for encompassingsaid pivoted ends to hold said elongate member in a generally straightposition.

5. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said attaching meansincludes a threaded ferrule in the central portion of said bow toreceive said elongate member, said member having a threaded end.

6. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said attaching meansincludes a threaded stud turned into said central portion of said how,said stud having a threaded end projecting rearwardly therefrom, athrough-nut on said stud, and said elongate member having a threaded endturned into said through-nut.

7. In combination with an archery bow, an elongate member, meansattaching said elongate member to a central portion of said bow on aline between the bow tips, and at a position adjacent a narrow guide ofthe bow, said attaching means including a first plate, screw meansafiixing said first plate to the back portion of said bow, an additionalplate afiixed to and extending forwardly of said first plate, meansafiixing said additional plate to the side of the bow opposite saidarrow guide, and means aflixed to said first plate to receive saidelongate member, said elongate member extending rearwardly a distanceapproximately equal to the desired draw of the bow and terminating in ahandle extending transversely of said elongate member, said elongatemember being curved in a shallow dish-shaped configuration to enablesaid member to be clear of said arrow throughout most of the length ofsaid member except for a portion adjacent said handle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,815,016 12/1957 Kellogg 124233,015,328 1/1962 Ryder 12424 XR 6 3,176,674 4/1965 ,Smith 124233,238,935 3/1966 Stanaland.

FOREIGN PATENTS 26,154 1/ 1902 Great Britain.

GEORGE J. MARLO, Primary Examiner W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner

